Plural-lamp fixture.



F. J. RUSSELL.

PLURAL LAMP FIXTURE. APPLICATION FILED 00120,,1906.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

In x I F. J. RUSSELL. PLURAL LAMP FIXTURE. APPLIGATION TILED OUT. 20, 1906.

902,004,; Patented 0013. 2?, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

FRANK J. RUSSELL, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

ZE'IJURAL-LAMP FIXTURE Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed. dctober 20, 1906. Serial No. 339,818.

Patented Oct. 27,1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. RUssELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State ol' New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plural- LampFixtures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that type of electrical appliances known as plural lamp ii);- tures and usually termed commercially lamp clusters, which class 01 appliances are characterized by a single fixture embodying in its organization means for supportingand electrically connecting-pp a'cluster or plurality of electrical connecting plugs, such as electric lamp plugs or extension circuit plugs.

The type of lixture referred to is commonly employed for carrying andl'eeding a cluster of incandescent electriclamps, but, irrespectiveol the particular use to which the fixture or cluster may be. appropriated, the present invention has for its main and pri- -1nary-object the provision of a plurallamp fixture of an exceedingly simple, practical and effective construction. To this end the invention contemplates a plural lamp fixture wherein great simplicity and compactness are preserved in not only the base or supporting member of the. cluster, :but also'in the electrical receptacles associated therewith. In tliis'connection, a distinctive feature of the invention resides in the equipment of the base or supporting part of thecluster with simply the wire terminal elements, and assooiating therewith a plurality of readily removable or detachable receptacles which may be characterized as sell contained-units, inasmuch as each receptacle is designed to support and carry all of the partsneceSSary for proper electrical contact with the connectlng plug for the lam while at the same time embodyingnssemb y or coupling means for connecting the receptacle to thebase or supporting part ofthe. cluster. Hence, an important object of this invention-resides in the provision, in a plural lamp fiXture,'ol' a. selicontained receptacle unit carrying both of the plug contacts, and utilizing one of the latter as an assembling means for fastening the unit to the cluster or cluster bracket and at the same time drawing and holding the; connections for the other plug contact in metallic and electrical connection with th wire terminal element cooperating therewithl a further object of the inventionis-to provide an improved construction ot electrical unit wherein a single base section is utilized as the supporting means for all" parts of the the invention consists in-the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described,illustrated,

, and claimed.

T he essential features o'ltheinvention in volved in a construction forcarrying out the objects above indicated, are necessarily susceptible to a wide range of structuralmodilication without departing from the see c of theinvention, but certain preferred em )Odlments thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a plural lamp fixture embodying the presentinven tion, and showing one method ofdetachablg securing the receptacle unitsin position .06 the cluster b acket. Fig. 2. is abottomtplan view partly broken away and the cluster :cover removed to illustrate the form of the inner and outer wire terminal elements con stituting a part of the supporting bracket for the units, as well as subserving thefunctions of terminalsfor the feeding wires. Fig. 3] is a'bottom plan view ofthe receptacle unit shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Fig. .4 is a sectional view of a receptacle unit showing the various parts thereof separated, and illustrat ng their relative relation to each other. F 1g. 5 1s a detail in perspective. of a form of fastening stud constituting an extension from. the central-plug contactpr screw, said stud being S-hOWILlJLFlgS.l, 3, and dof the drawings. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of-a portion of the cluster illustrating a n odificer ti-on'in the fastening meansffor securing the unit to the cluster bracket. Fig. 7 is asinit. lar view on the line of section 7 -7 ofFig. 6. Fig. 8 is a, detail sectional view on thaline 8--8 of Fig. 7.

Like references designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawin s. In carrying outthe present invention the fixture is constructed along lines to divide the sameinto two permanent parts, one be ing the main cluster base part, and the other the individual receptaclealnits connected to and supported by said base part detachably if and also in suitable electricalconnection therewith to provide for the )roper supply of current to the wires carried y the electrical plug, whether such lug be a partof an incandescent electric liimp or is an ordinary extension circuit plug. According to this mechanical division of the invention, the main cluster base part is intended to simply carry the Wire terminal elements for the fixture or cluster, while the individual receptacle' units carry the remaining necessary mechanical and electrical elements to com 'plete the device.

Referring particularly to the main cluster or base part of the fixture, the same may be characterized'as a cluster bracket inasmuch as the same provides a su portin bracket for the receptacle units. T e said racket is designated in its entirety by the letter B and essentially consists of an insulating base piece 1 and a pair of concentrically arranged inner and outer wire terminal plates 2 and 3 respectively. By reason of the fact that these wire terminal plates 2 and 3 provide a common'wire terminal connection for all of the receptacle units of the cluster, the same may be properly termed universal terminal plates, and it has been found preferable in carrying out the invention to shape these plates in the form of semi-spherical shells rovided at their edges with laterally deected securing flanges 4 seated against one side of the base piece 1, and held thereto by securing screws or equivalent fastenings 5 which may be also utilized for the connection of the separate cluster feed wires F and F, respectively. However, in connection with this detail, it will be understood that any suitable feed wire connection may be made with the universal terminal plates 2 and 3 to include said plates respectively on opposite sides or legs of an electrical circuit.

The universal terminal lates 2 and 3 are of different sizes, the smallhr one 2 being arranged inside of' the larger and outer plate 3 in a spaced relation thereto, and both of the said plates are preferably truncated to r0- vide in the tops thereof the openings 6 alined with the corresponding opening 7 in the base piece so that through these alined openings a fastening bolt or equivalent device can be Inani ulated for securing the base piece to a suita le point of sup ort. This detail, however, may be utilize or omitted without affecting the essential features of the invention. The universal terminal lates 2 and 3 are provided with a plurality 0 pairs of alined openings, 8 and 9 respectively, the openings 8 in the inner plate 2 being threaded and constituting anchoring holes, while the openings 9 in the outer plate 3 act in the capacity of keeper mortises for the individual receptacle units in a manner to be presently explained.

Each pair of the openin s 8 and 9 is arranged on a line radial to t e centers of the terminal plates 2 and 3 so as to correspondtherewith.

Referring to each of the units in detail, the same essentially consists of an insulating base section 10, the central plug contact 11, the side plug contact 12, a receptacle cover 13, a fastening stud 14, and a pair of contact conductors as plainly shown in detail in Fig. 4 of the drawings The base section 10 consists of a suitable block of insulating material and is rovided at what may be termed its inner si e with a projecting holding tenon 16 rovided therein with a'squared seat or soc et 17. receiving the angular bodyportion 18 of the fastening stud 14. This fastening stud is provided with a threaded projecting stem and its body ortion is formed therein with a threaded soc et 19 receiving the inner threaded section 20 of the central plug contact'11 which is in the form of a screw fastened through the central screw hole in the base section 10 and provided at its outer end the face of the base opposite the holding tenon 16. Hence, the contact head 22 is disposed directly within the plug receiving opening provided for by the receptacle cover 13 and the side plug contact element 12. This side plug contact element ,12 usuall I consists of the ordinary metal threaded she I to receive the threaded cap of the electrical plug, and in carrying out the present invention, it is provided with an open base portion having supcporting' flanges 23 located upon opposite si es of the contact 22 and resting directly upon the outer face of the base 10. The said supporting flanges 23 also carry the nuts 24 receiving the outer extremities of the contact conductor screws 15 passing through side screw holes 26 in the base 10 and having exposed on the inner side of the base 10 so that the same may be drawn into metallic and electrical contact with the outer terminal plate 3.

The cover 13 for the rece tacle unit is preferably fitted with the usua insulating lining 28 and not onl extends over the side plu contract or shel 12 but also has the usuaapron ortion 29 extending over the base 10 and he (1 thereto by a suitable fastening element such as the s ring locking tongue 30 shown in Figs. 1 an 4 of the drawings.

When the parts of the electrical unit are connected together, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawin s, it is simply necessary to insert the same t rough a receiving opening 31 in a semi-s herical cover 32 and to threa ed stem of the fastening stu 14 into .ing up the unit, the tenon 16 is carried through the keeper mortise 9 and the heads 27 of the conductor screws 15 drawn into coningly position the receptacle units associated pass the with a contact head 22 lying directly against their heads 27 disposed against .or arranged "the threaded anchoring hole 8, and by screwtact with the outer terminal plate 3. A

q and said retaining collar 33 operating in the seat or socket 17 of the holding tenon 16. In this form of the invention the holding tenon 16 is externally angular so as to interlock in a correspondingly shaped hole or mor tise 9 in the terminal plate 3. With this construction. it is necessary to use a screw driver within the plug receiving opening of the receptacle to provide for screwing up and detaching the units.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, application and many advantages of thcherein described improvements are apparent to those familiar with the art without further description.

I claim:

1. In a plural lamp fixture, a member carrying a'pair of inner and outer concentrically arranged wire terminal elements, and a selicontained receptacle unit carrying both plug contacts and having a fastening and conducting engagement with the inner Wire terminal element and an interlocking and conductin engagement with the outer wire termina element.

2. In a plural lamp fixture, a cluster:

said plug contact elements having a fastening stud member detachably engaging the opening in the other of said terminal shells.

3. In a plural lamp fixture, a cluster bracket having a base piece, and a pair of concentric semi-s herical wire terminal shells carried by said ase piece, and a recs 7 'tacle unit com rising a base sect-ion, a si e plug contact e ement mounted on said base section and having conductors exposed upon the op iosite side of the base section, and a contra plug contact screw mounted in the base section and having an inner fastening stud element engaging the inner wire terminal shell and arranged to draw the said conductors into'contact with the other shell.

4. In a plural lamp fixture, a cluster bracket having a pair of concentrically arranged wire terminal shells provided with openings therein, and a receptacle unit com prising an insulating base section having at one side a recessed projecting holding tenon for engagement in the o iening of the outer wire terminal shell, a sit e plug contact ele. ment arranged upon one side or the base section, headed conductor screws securing said side plug contact element and exposed at the opposite side of the base section for contact with the outer wire terminal shell, and a central plug contact screw exposed within the plug receiving opening of the receptacle and carrying at its inner end a fastening stud seated within the recess of the said holding.

tenon and arranged to have threaded e'ngagement with theopening in the inner wire terminal shell.

In testimony whereof I hereunto alibi my signature in the presence of two witnesses. FRANK J. RUSSELL.

Witnesses:

M. LILIAN Ens, PHEBE A. RUssnLL. 

